What is the most widely used standard for quality management certification?

The most widely used standard for quality management certification is ISO 9001. This standard outlines the criteria for a quality management system and is designed to help organizations ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while adhering to regulatory requirements related to their products and services. ISO 9001 is applicable to any organization, regardless of size or industry, and focuses on continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and maintaining consistent quality in processes and outcomes.

ISO 14001, while important, focuses on environmental management systems and the organization’s environmental performance rather than quality management specifically. ISO 45001 addresses occupational health and safety management systems, ensuring workplaces are safe and healthy but is not centered around general quality management. Lastly, ISO 9000 is a family of standards related to quality management systems, but it does not serve as a certification standard on its own; rather, it provides the foundation for ISO 9001, which is the certification globally recognized for quality management. Thus, ISO 9001 holds the distinction of being the most widely used standard in the context of quality management certification.